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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27252391">when you're just a little drunk</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/charjace/pseuds/charjace'>charjace</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Friend's Don't [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Julie and The Phantoms (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Suicidal Thoughts, M/M, References to Depression, Underage Drinking, Vomiting mentioned</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:28:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,694</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27252391</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/charjace/pseuds/charjace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>reggie slowly came to terms that friends don't feel the way he does about luke</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alex &amp; Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Julie Molina &amp; Luke Patterson, Luke Patterson/Reggie (Julie and The Phantoms), Luke Patterson/Reggie Peters</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Friend's Don't [6]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1844314</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>245</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>when you're just a little drunk</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>this was suppose to be a short 3k song based fanfic, but i slipped and poured in too much angst.</p><p>song; friend's dont by maddie and tae</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>His parents were still arguing way into the night, he was trying to get some sleep – but, it was hard when he could hear his parent's angry words from down the hall, even with his door closed. The voices still travelled into his ears. He hates it in his room, where he can’t escape the fighting unless he opens up that window to climb out, sometimes he just wants to run away – to leave this god forsaken house, to forget about the arguing – to go where he won’t hear his parent's harsh words, their harsh words directed at each other, directed towards him or about him. Some nights, he would throw a bunch of his clothes into his bag and crack that window open, letting his feet take him to the studio. It was a safe place, and it wasn’t like his parents would notice he was gone, they barely noticed he was there when he was. It’s been like that for years, for as long as Reggie could remember, since they had lost their other son, it was like they forgot they had </span>
  <em>
    <span>Reggie</span>
  </em>
  <span> too. That he hurt too, that he existed.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Shit</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he thinks as tears start to form in his eyes as he overthought everything. Heart heavy he picks up his bag, stuffing a few items of clothing into his bag before escaping out the window. Trying to think of the</span>
  <em>
    <span> good</span>
  </em>
  <span> things in his life, his friends – those were his true family. It wasn’t until he was outside of Luke’s house did, he realise that he hadn’t been walking himself to the studio, but instead to his friend’s place. Putting on a smile, he walks himself around to Luke’s window because he was honestly too tired to walk himself to the studio, and he is sure Luke would welcome him in. Luke was good like that. Tapping on the window, he waited – a few moments passed by, </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. So, he tried again, this time he noticed a light go on and his false smiled turned a bit real. Another few taps and the curtains are drawn and he sees Luke.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Upon spotting Reggie at his window, Luke quickly opened up his window to let his friend into his room, helping the other get in safely before closing the window. Reggie dropped his bag on the floor, “Sorry this is late, I just... I couldn’t sleep,” Reggie says in a quiet voice, “I thought I was heading to the studio. Guess I made a wrong turn or something. Stupid me right.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Not stupid Reggie,” Luke replies, going to wrap his arm around his friend's shoulders, “Are they getting worse?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>All Reggie could do was nod in response, in fear he’d break down and all the walls he put up, all the walls he try's too keep even his closest friends from seeing behind. He never wants to burden them with those ugly thoughts that sometimes come through his head. Reggie was the funny friend; his friends didn’t need to see him </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> broken and he does his best to keep them from knowing, but over the few years, he’s noticed that Luke and Alex know when he gets bad in his head, he just doesn’t tell them </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad. Bobby does, but not as </span>
  <b>
    <span>much</span>
  </b>
  <span> as Luke or Alex do. Reggie chalks it up to how long they’ve known each other.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Well you can stay here,” Luke says with a grin on his lips, smiling towards Reggie, giving him a squeeze before pulling him to the bed and laying down next to him. Leaning over to turn off the lamp once both boys got under the covers. A few tears escaped Reggie’s eyes as Luke turned off the light and he felt Luke pull him closer, and Luke started to sing a soft song which Reggie fell asleep too.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The next day, they don’t talk about it. They never did, and Emily didn’t say anything when he joined them for breakfast, she never did. She knew about his parents fighting and had told him her home was always open for him, and for all of Luke’s friends. Though, Reggie never tried to make it a habit, always preferring to go to the studio, as to not disturb Luke, or to dare go to Alex’s - not since Alex came out. Alex’s parents weren’t so </span>
  <em>
    <span>kind</span>
  </em>
  <span> when Alex told them, and they were just shy of kicking him out. Reggie wouldn’t know what would be worse? Getting kicked out of his home for being gay</span>
  <em>
    <span> or</span>
  </em>
  <span> still living in the house while his parents gave him the cold shoulder, barely acknowledging his presence anymore just because he liked guys. Though, he supposes he already kind of lives his home life like the latter, but unlike Alex, his parents haven’t paid attention to him for </span>
  <em>
    <span>years</span>
  </em>
  <span> - he doesn’t remember what it was like to once have that </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> and have it turn cold. Neither was an ideal outcome; he knew that and all he could do was </span>
  <em>
    <span>be there</span>
  </em>
  <span> for Alex and that is what he does to his best ability. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie had stayed one more night at Luke’s home before he went back to his own home, though it wasn’t like his parents had noticed him gone. They never did, hell they don’t even care that school has most likely called them about his absences. He hasn’t gone in two weeks; school wasn’t interesting to him anymore and he had no classes with Alex or Luke this year. It was like the school </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  
  <span>to </span>
  <span>split them away from each other.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Now, it’s been a month and he hasn’t stepped foot into school, Luke and Alex asked about it, worried, but he knows that Luke had himself been thinking of dropping out of school. Luke really was passionate about his music, but his parents didn’t want him to drop out – they wanted him to learn and have life skills. Though, Reggie really questioned what kind of life skills high school taught you.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The air was warm, it wasn’t too cold, nor too hot. It was just right in Reggie’s mind and maybe it was also the liquid in the bottle he had in his hand that was making him warm as he sat on the beach, legs crossed as he watched happy couples and families play along the beach. It was only lunch time on a Sunday, his parents started arguing a few hours ago, and honestly – he was scared to go back into what he is supposed to call home, and hear that they’re still going at it. He left after throwing his leather jacket on, and tying his favourite flannel around his waist, shouldering his bag that had his notebook and a few pens in it, he had his wallet in his hand and decided to go to the liquor store that his mother loves.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t believe that they brought his Fake I.D, but he wasn’t complaining, it got him what he wanted. A bottle of what he thinks is his mother’s favourite whiskey, or was it his father’s? Reggie didn’t know, but it’s definitely one he’s seen around his home. The first sip, it was harsh as it made its way down his throat, but he pushed past it because it didn’t hurt </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> bad. Slowly, he had been sipping away at the bottle, feeling warmer with each sip and with each sip, those </span>
  <em>
    <span>horrible</span>
  </em>
  <span> thoughts started to disappear, and he thinks he understands why people can get so </span>
  <em>
    <span>addicted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to the stuff, if it made all these </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad thoughts</span>
  </em>
  <span> go away, could make you feel more </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span> - he understood the appeal now. He doesn’t dwell on what that could mean for him, it wasn’t an issue, he only brought </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> bottle, he was fine.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>As he drank, he wrote whatever came to his mind, lyrics and just random thoughts, filling the notebook until his vision got blurry and he could barely keep the book still on his thigh as he wrote. People were starting to leave the beach, telling him it was around dinner time and he still didn’t want to go home, so drunkenly he counts what money has left over in his wallet coming to the conclusion that he can afford himself hot chips. So, he stuffs his notebook into his bag before standing himself up, holding his bottle in his hand, stumbling a little as he did. A small laugh left his lips as he did, taking one look at his home he noticed a familiar car parked outside, but his hazy mind wasn’t placing it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie!” A familiar voice called, causing him to see his friends coming towards him. There were worried looks on their faces, as they took note of the bottle in his hand, but he doesn’t say anything – he just smiles at them.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“W-Where is B-Bobby?” Reggie hiccups as he speaks, words slurred a bit as they spill from his lips. Luke is by his side, wrapping his arm around Reggie’s waist as Alex gently takes the bottle from him. A pout forms on Reggie’s lips as he feels the sensation of the bottle missing from his hand. “Hey, that’s mine.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hold this instead,” Alex says, placing his hand into Reggie’s hand and Reggie couldn’t help but smile. It was a nice replacement, even with the few calluses that Alex had, Reggie had his own and so did Luke.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They walked him to the car, getting him into the back seat was a task and if Reggie was sober, he knows he would be hating himself for causing his friends to have to do this. So, he knows, waking up tomorrow, the guilt will be there – but right now? </span>
  <span>His mind is way too hazy to care, and he’s been pouting since Alex’s hand left his. Luke had climbed in next to him, while Alex took the seat in front being the driver. Drunkenly, he reached for the bottle Alex had placed in the front seat – but Luke pulled him back into his own seat, deciding to link his fingers with Reggie’s to occupy his hand – to stop him from reaching for the bottle again.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It had been a silent agreement between Luke and Alex, they were going to Luke’s house. Neither wanted to see what would, or wouldn’t happen if they brought Reggie into his own home, nor did they want to take the risk of bring him to Alex’s, not with how Alex’s parents are currently acting towards their son. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie had been looking outside the window as Alex drove, smiling a little to himself as his fingers started to absently tracing the most random tracks across the back of Luke’s hand, lightly humming a soft tune to himself as he thought about how nice it was to be holding Luke’s hand. It wasn’t entirely soft, it had its roughness that came with playing his guitar but it felt warm in his hand, and Reggie felt he didn’t want to let go.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke and Alex had thought that maybe they would be able to get Reggie to Luke’s room without Luke’s parent’s noticing, but Emily had heard the door open and came to greet her son. A frown forming on her face as her eyes landed how Reggie was slumped against her son, and how both Alex and Luke were practically holding the other boy up. Worry etched upon her lips, and she told the boys to sit him on the couch. Alex went with Emily as she was needing to finish dinner, explaining how they found Reggie because he hadn’t shown up for band practice that afternoon, while Reggie clung to Luke.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie... what happened?” Luke asks in a quiet voice; Reggie can hear the worry that lines his voice and it almost makes him want to cry. He can feel tears starting to form in his eyes, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>god</span>
  </em>
  <span> Luke was so nice and caring as he pulls Reggie into a hug. “It’s okay. You can stay here for the night, I’m sure my parents won’t mind.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Reggie mumbles as he buries his head into Luke’s neck as he holds on tightly to the other. Luke smelled softly of the soap the Patterson’s have, and that body spray that Luke loves so much. It was comforting, and if Reggie thought too long about it, a lot of things about Luke were comforting. His smile, his voice, his arms and the way that Luke is just so passionate about his music. Luke’s hand rubs calming circles into Reggie’s back, and Reggie hiccups. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pulls away from the hug, but not once letting his hands leave Reggie, moving his hands to slowly cup Reggie’s face in his palms, making them look eye to eye, “What’s wrong? Why would you...”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie just shrugs his shoulders, even in this drunken state of mind he still has </span>
  <em>
    <span>some</span>
  </em>
  <span> control, he can’t let them know how </span>
  <em>
    <span>dark</span>
  </em>
  <span> it can get in his head, or how badly his parents fighting truly does affect him. He’s the funny friend, it’s what he prides himself on. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reg...” The nickname so soft, and Reggie’s stupidly drunken mind tells him that he thinks he loves Luke. The way Luke cares about him, the concern laced on his friend’s face, it’s telling his stupid mind that he never wanted to see that look ever on Luke’s face again while also supplying that it was cute that he did.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke I l-” Drunken words Reggie would have regretted had they formed; lost as he suddenly feels something crawling up his throat. He turns his head just enough so he ends up throwing up the contents of his stomach all over Luke’s arm, leg and onto the floor, at least it wasn’t on Luke’s face and Reggie congratulates himself on that fact. The self-celebration only lasts a few seconds in his mind before he realised what he had done came into full effect, “Sorry. Sorry. Sorry.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pulls his arms away from Reggie, “Alex, Mum!” Luke calls out, and they were in the living room within moments.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, honey, go get in the shower. Put those clothes in washer right away,” Emily dictates to her son, before looking towards Alex, “You stay here with Reggie, while I go grab a few things. Mitch will be home any moment.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Carefully, Alex sits himself next to Reggie, allowing the bassist to rest his head on his shoulder. “Hey,” Alex nudges Reggie’s head a little, not too much, “Let’s strip you off your leather jacket.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie lifts his head off of Alex’s shoulder, and let his friend take off the jacket. Watching as he neatly folded the item before he placed it on the coffee table. The smell in the room made both of them scrunch their nose, Emily came back a few minutes later and Mitch walked in the door, confused but went to finish off dinner at his wife’s request. Alex helps Emily clean up, and lays Reggie, who had fallen asleep, onto the couch, on his side as Emily had told him to do afterwards while she goes to rinse everything out and put on a load of washing. Alex wiped what remains of vomit from Reggie’s mouth and took off his friend’s shoes. There wasn’t much they could do about him wearing jeans for now.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke came out of the shower, his hair wet as he walked into the living room. He had a set of pyjama pants in his hands, and placed them on top of Reggie’s leather jacket. Alex and Luke shared a concerned look between each other, neither knew what to make of this? This was the first time it happened, and what they would </span>
  <em>
    <span>hope</span>
  </em>
  <span> is the last time. The thought of their friend turning to a substance other than </span>
  <em>
    <span>them</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it hurt them more than they would care to admit, and they do truly hope that this was a one-time case.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When Reggie woke up, there was a pounding in his head, but it was also meet with fingers softly carding through his hair, making him want to drift back into a sleep that would maybe hopefully take away the pain in his skull. His lagging brain also noted that his head was in someone’s lap, and as much as a lot of what happened after he arrived at Luke’s home is a blur, he doesn’t remember falling asleep on someone lap.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie?” Luke’s voice a whisper, his fingers stopping their movement which caused an involuntary whine leave Reggie’s lips. Then a quiet laugh filled his ears, “Hey, come on wake up just to change into some better pants for bed, and we can go sleep in my bed. Yeah?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie nodded his head slightly, but didn’t move to sit himself up, it was only when Luke lifted his head gently off of his lap, that Reggie let out a soft sigh, and sat himself up. The lights were out in the house, and Reggie is thankful for it because he isn’t sure that he could deal with lights right now. He watched as Luke grabbed something off of the coffee table, before guiding Reggie towards his bedroom. Nothing else was said and Reggie just stripped himself of his jeans and switching them to the pants Luke handed him before he climbed into the bed next to Luke, falling asleep within seconds.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>No one was supposed to be in the studio, no one goes there this late in the night, but as Reggie walked towards the place, his bag hung over his shoulder. His parents were bad again, and he couldn’t take it anymore, so he walked himself to the studio. As he got closer to the studio, he could hear faint strumming of a guitar so carefully, he opened up the door to see Luke on the couch with tears staining his face, light up by the small lamp, and Reggie’s heart dropped at seeing the sight. His feet quickly taking him towards his friend who stopped his strumming upon seeing his friend enter the room. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I ran away,” Luke says as a sob breaks through him, and Reggie is close enough now that he engulfs Luke into a hug, holding onto him tightly as the other breaks down. A few minutes passed by before they pulled away, Luke wiping at his eyes, “They just, they don’t understand. I... I miss them already so </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> but, I can’t go back. Not until we’ve made it.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie didn’t know what to say, so he grabbed one of Luke’s hands, giving it a small squeeze, “We’ll make it, no doubt about it.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s face scrunches up a little bit, and he moves himself slightly away from Reggie, causing the bassist to frown slightly, did he do something? Did he say the wrong thing? He thought that is what Luke would want to hear, was he wrong? “Reg...</span>
  <em>
    <span> What's</span>
  </em>
  <span> in your bag?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“My bag? My clothes, you know this,” Reggie answers, fingers going up to grab hold of the strap, fingers going slightly white at how tight he was holding it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that all? Reggie, don’t lie to me please,” Luke asks, there is a sadness in his voice, a </span>
  <em>
    <span>desperation</span>
  </em>
  <span> to his words as he looked at Reggie. Reggie is deflecting, and Luke knows this – they all had a talk, Bobby included about none of them </span>
  <em>
    <span>drinking, </span>
  </em>
  <span>they promised as Reggie had a bottle of whiskey in his bag that day just over a month ago.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“My notebook where I write my country songs,” There were many things more than his country songs written among those pages, many intrusive thoughts written into lyrics he would never slip into Luke’s journal. They were too personal, they made Reggie way too open so he kept them away, even from his closest friends.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie,” It’s pleading, and Reggie’s fingers tighten around the strap because he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> the question that Luke isn’t asking. The question he has the wrong answer for, the question that goes unanswered in the silence that spreads between them, but is an answer in and of itself. “I love you; Alex loves you... you can’t keep doing that to yourself. We can’t lose you. I just lost my parents; I can’t lose you too.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I just can’t do it sometimes Luke, I just... I can’t,” Now it’s Reggie’s turn to cry, and Luke pulls him into a hug, before they’re laying themselves down on the couch. It doesn’t really fit them but they squeeze themselves in. After a while, Reggie lets out a wet laugh, “I’m the one supposed to be comforting </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> here. You were the one who ran away.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You are comforting me, by being here,” Luke says, lifting his hand to turn off the lamp before pulling the blanket that hung over the couch over the pair. Reggie closes his eyes, listening to how their breathing comes, in, out, in, out. He could almost feel himself on the verge of sleep when Luke’s voice asks in a whisper in the room, “Can you keep our promise?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I can try,” It was the honest answer, it seemed to satisfy Luke enough as Reggie hears him mumble a quiet thank you, before they’re off to sleep. Waking up when Alex comes into the studio the next morning.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The night before they were to play the Orpheum, Luke crashed the night at Reggie’s place – saying he should probably sleep in a proper bed before the biggest gig of their lives to date, and Reggie didn’t mind having the company. His parents were out with their friends, so they didn’t have to deal with the yelling. Luke’s face never dropped that </span>
  <em>
    <span>giddy</span>
  </em>
  <span> smile he had on, and he was always bouncing in each step, like he was unable to contain the excitement for tomorrow, and Reggie couldn’t blame him. Reggie loved the look on Luke, Luke being so </span>
  <em>
    <span>happy</span>
  </em>
  <span> and full of joy with his dreams just within reach. With his dreams just a fingertip touch away, meant his parents weren’t too far behind that.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke’s excitement was contagious, at least that is the excuse that Reggie uses in his mind when it supplied him with the thought to kiss Luke. He didn’t know where it came from, or why it would. He liked girls, he wanted to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kiss</span>
  </em>
  <span> girls. He wanted to kiss Luke too, and hold Luke’s hand in his own as they walk. He stops the thoughts by suggesting that they go to sleep, so they’re fully rested for tomorrow.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t get to play the Orpheum that night, instead they died a few hours before they were meant to play. Then, they were in the dark room they had floated into after they died for </span>
  <em>
    <span>twenty-five years</span>
  </em>
  <span>, even though it had only felt like it had been an hour since they had died.  When they came back, it was to their old music studio – except it wasn’t how they had left it. Of course, it wasn’t, it had been twenty-five years, why would it be the same if someone else now lived there.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Julie is nice, she has a voice like an angel and honestly, Reggie felt like she was one because while they could be </span>
  <em>
    <span>heard</span>
  </em>
  <span> while playing, if they played with </span>
  <em>
    <span>her,</span>
  </em>
  <span> they could be seen again and it was like they had another shot at their dream. Everything was going </span>
  <em>
    <span>well, </span>
  </em>
  <span>or well as it could for being the afterlife, he supposes. There were a few </span>
  <em>
    <span>hiccups</span>
  </em>
  <span>, like when he went to go find his parents the house was gone and turned into a bike shake. Honestly, Reggie didn’t know what he was wanting to gain from seeing his parents again, or his old home. Then, there was the whole</span>
  <em>
    <span> accidently selling their souls to a ghost who wants to keep you in their band, and having shocks that will kill you even though you’re dead</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Almost, they </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost</span>
  </em>
  <span> didn’t make it to the Orpheum – Caleb had such a strong hold on them, he wanted them </span>
  <em>
    <span>so bad</span>
  </em>
  <span> but, they fought for it. They fought to play with Julie that </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> last time, before Caleb’s shocks took them away from the world forever. But it seemed that fate was being nice, that it was giving them </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> time to be together, as a band, as a family because Julie was hugging them,</span>
  <b>
    
  </b>
  <b>
    <em>
      <span>hugging them</span>
    </em>
  </b>
  <span> made the stamp disappear, her love for them, and their love for her. Their </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> broke the hold Caleb seemed to have. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They could </span>
  <em>
    <span>touch</span>
  </em>
  <span> Julie now, and it made Reggie happy because not being able to do so, it made him feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>distant</span>
  </em>
  <span> from her even when they were within millimetres from each other. Or maybe that was because Reggie subconsciously craved </span>
  <em>
    <span>touch</span>
  </em>
  <span> from those he cares about. It’s been a week; everyone was out doing </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Alex was looking for Willie, they haven’t seen him since the night they played the Orpheum. Everyone was worried, but Alex was clearly more worried and wanted to find him. Ray was at work, Julie and Carlos were at school, and Luke went to visit his parents so Reggie decided to do what he does best, go to the beach.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He sat there, just people watching and making up stories for the people passing by. He was sitting with his legs crossed, fingers playing with the sleeve of his flannel that was tied around his waist. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey </span>
  <span>Reg</span>
  <span>,” A familiar voice spoke coming from his left, making him turn his head slightly and letting a smile spread across his lips at seeing Luke. “Thought I’d find you here.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Here I am. How was it? At your parents?” Reggie asks as Luke takes a seat next to him, Reggie giving the other boy’s shoulder a light bump with his own. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s... better now that Julie gave them</span>
  <em>
    <span> Unsaid Emily</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Luke replies, “It’s like, they’ve got closure and they don’t look as sad anymore now. They’re getting </span>
  <em>
    <span>better</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s good... right,” Reggie says, and smiles a little when Luke gives a soft laugh and a quiet </span>
  <em>
    <span>yeah, it’s good</span>
  </em>
  <span>. They just sat there for half an hour more, Luke resting his head on Reggie’s shoulder as they gave back stories to the strangers that passed them by before deciding they should head back to the studio.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Now, they could have </span>
  <em>
    <span>easily</span>
  </em>
  
  <span>poofed</span>
  <span> themselves back, but for some unknown reason they decided to take the long way home. Walking next to each other, arms brushing against each other with each step they took. It was nice, just spending this time with Luke where they weren’t in the studio or practicing. It was almost like </span>
  <em>
    <span>they were alive</span>
  </em>
  <span> again, even if it was just something as small as just walking home with his friend instead of just </span>
  <em>
    <span>poofing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Granted, Reggie was still stumbling slightly when he </span>
  <span>poofed</span>
  <span> anywhere. Alex and Luke seemed to have gotten the hang of it, but Reggie was still lagging behind in it so he didn’t mind not </span>
  <span>poofing</span>
  <span> this time.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was very late at night a few days later, Reggie couldn’t sleep, not that he really needed it but he tries to sometimes – to see if he still can, and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>somewhat</span>
  </em>
  <span> can, he’s definitely more of a light sleeper now though. The </span>
  <em>
    <span>slightest</span>
  </em>
  <span> bit of noise will jostle him awake. Luke and Alex, they hadn’t woken up so Reggie just </span>
  <span>poofed</span>
  <span> himself into the house, just to roam around it. The silence in the Molina household wasn’t as </span>
  <em>
    <span>deafening</span>
  </em>
  <span> as the silence in his old home and Reggie thinks that is because there is love in this house that is spread even when the house’s occupants are quiet and asleep in their rooms. It was a peaceful and beautiful silence, in a place that makes you feel like you are </span>
  <b>
    <span>home.</span>
  </b>
  
  
</p><p>
  <span>The other night, he </span>
  <span>poofed</span>
  <span> himself into Bobby’s place – he was curious, and Alex was still trying to find Willie, and Luke was helping him. Bobby’s home was </span>
  <em>
    <span>cold</span>
  </em>
  <span>, it wasn’t as bad his home – but it wasn’t like Julie’s home. He wondered around the whole place, wondering if he hadn’t died, would he have had a home like his? Would it be big, and open and cold? Or would it be homier and inviting, like Julie’s?</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie doesn’t move much things, not wanting to disturb anything, but he does run his fingers along surfaces. His fingers brush against a bottle that Ray or Victoria must have forgotten to put away, the lights didn’t need to be on for him know what the bottle was filled with. Being a ghost made seeing in the dark easier, not by much but it was definitely better than it had been when he was alive. He hadn’t meant too, he really didn’t because as he pulled his hand back fast, the momentum must have pushed the bottle. It pushed it a little too close to the edge of the countertop it was on before it took the fall to the ground. Reggie wasn’t quick enough to stop it, it was a loud sound and he brought his hands up to his ears. The glass breaking reminding him of plates and cups shattering as he was a child, the sound probably louder to his own ears then it truly was. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Light fills the room as Julie quickly runs down the stairs, calling out to her father who asks her what was going on, telling him that something fell. Saying they must have left a window open, and the wind knocked over the wine he had forgot to put away after he finished cooking and that she’s got it. When she heard the sound of glass breaking, Julie quickly got out of her bed – she had a feeling it was one of the boys. She was right, but she hadn’t expected to see Reggie standing there, hands shaking over his ears with tears in his eyes. Her heart shattered at the sight, she only knows Luke’s life with his parents and even then,</span>
  <em>
    <span> that</span>
  </em>
  <span> wasn’t much and only what he, Reggie and Alex have told her.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Moving in slow movements towards the bassist, Julie holds up her hands towards him, showing him that it was okay and she gave him a smile, as he lowered his hands, they were still shaking though. “I’m sorry. I... I didn’t mean too Julie. I didn’t mean too. I just...” Reggie mumbles out, voice filled with guilt that Julie doesn’t feel like should be there.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, just a broken bottle. If you say it was an accident, I believe you, okay?” Julie offers in support as she walks closer to her friend, her movements still slow as she moves to place a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll clean this up, and you can sleep in my room tonight? You look like you might need the company. Go up, I’ll be there in a few moments, I promise.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Up in Julie’s room, Reggie sat on the edge of her bed. Legs crossed as he sat there, fingers playing with the bracelet on his wrist. Spinning it around his finger, moving it back and forth until Julie came back into the room, taking a seat next to him. Carefully, she placed a hand over the top of his which stilled his movements in playing with his bracelet.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>His subconscious makes him with the hand she isn’t holding, play with the bracelets that are wrapped around Julie’s wrist. Reggie had always noticed there were a few that she never took off. Like the one his fingers were moving, it was blue, pink and purple, Reggie liked the colour scheme together, and he felt it fitted Julie.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was silent between them for a while, before Julie quietly asks, “Are you okay Reggie?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie shakes his head, he wasn’t okay and it just </span>
  <em>
    <span>suddenly</span>
  </em>
  <span> all came at once he doesn’t know where it came from. “It’s stupid, I’m stupid,” He answers, trying to dismiss it, they didn’t need to get into it.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A frown formed on Julie’s lips, and she squeezed Reggie’s hand, “You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> stupid Reggie, and whatever has you upset? That’s not stupid either. If it’s making you upset, it means something.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Silence over took them for a bit, and Reggie speaks a little quiet into the room, “It’s really nothing. I just... I accidently touched the bottle of wine, and me and the band, we swore of drinking because someone we knew... they had an issue with the stuff. It felt like I was doing something wrong just by </span>
  <em>
    <span>touching</span>
  </em>
  <span> it, so, I just pulled my hand away. I guess, I don’t, I must have accidently pushed it in the process. This stuff Alex and Luke know, but my parents they would fight </span>
  <em>
    <span>a lot, </span>
  </em>
  <span>and sometimes things would break. It must have just reminded me, it’s been </span>
  <em>
    <span>years</span>
  </em>
  <span> literally, I should be over it, shouldn’t I?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Julie squeezed his hand, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek, “Emotional healing, it’s a progress that is different for everyone. I would know,” She rests her head on Reggie’s shoulder, “You don’t need to answer me, but was it one of your parents? The one with a drinking problem? I just, I want to understand and help you guys.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie shook his head, pulling his hand away from Julie and standing up. He should just poof out, back to the studio, Luke and Alex are probably still sleeping right now. This was too much, he spilled too much of himself to Julie. Now, she won’t think of him as that funny friend anymore. She won’t want to be his friend anymore because of this, he’s too much. His hands going to pull at the flannel that was tied around his waist.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There was a knock-on Julie’s door, and she went over to the door to see Luke and Alex, “Hey have you seen Reggie?” Alex asks, and Julie gestures into her room before closing her door.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Reg</span>
  <span>?” Luke’s voice softly asks as he steps in front of his friend, before looking at Julie, a puzzled look on his face. “What happened?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“He accidently broke a bottle of wine, I told him it was okay,” Julie answers.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“He didn’t...” Alex looks at Luke and Reggie, worry filling his eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t. I didn’t drink it I swear,” Reggie’s head snaps up as looks over to Alex, eyes filled with tears as he looks at his friend, then at Luke, silently begging the pair to believe him, “I swear I didn’t.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Julie doesn’t comment that they </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> eat or drink, because the way her bandmates were handling this told her there was something </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span> to it, and she thinks she knows what it was. Guilt filled her stomach, she hadn’t meant to cause this, “Reggie, I didn’t mean to upset you, I’m sorry. I crossed a line by asking that question.” Luke and Alex looked slightly confused, “He told me, that the breaking of the bottle reminded him of his parents... I thought maybe one of them had a drinking issue. He did mention you all knew someone that did. I guessed wrong.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie didn’t say who?” Luke muses, and Julie shakes her head – but now, she thinks she can take a good guess and be right, but she won’t. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>After Reggie calmed down, Julie hugged him tightly, telling him that she loved him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. She still offered for him to sleep with her, and she allowed the others to do so too. They fell asleep all curled around each other, all curled around Reggie to let him know that they weren’t going anywhere anytime soon.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>The sky was filling with stars as the moon shone through the night sky. They had finished a gig a few hours ago, and Reggie just wanted to sit somewhere, alone. There way too many thoughts running through his head, a lot of them were </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad</span>
  </em>
  <span> and he hated it. He was starting to hate himself, and as it seemed those </span>
  <em>
    <span>thoughts</span>
  </em>
  <span> and feelings, they don’t go away just because he died. There was the soft chatter as Julie, Carlos and her father came home, which meant Luke was most likely back in the studio, and Alex was with Willie. They found him a few days ago, it made Alex happy.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t expect Alex to poof in next to him, taking the spot right next to him and knocking their shoulders together. “Reggie, it’s getting bad isn’t?” Reggie just gives a small nod of his head, “You know I’m here for you, so is Luke and Julie.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I do, I’ve always known, I just don’t want to burden you guys,” He never has, it’s why he never let them </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> far in. “But this time there is something else too.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ever since that day that Luke tried to prove he had chemistry with everyone, Reggie had been struggling to find excuses to tell himself that he wasn’t attracted to Luke. In the past, any time he thought he liked Luke, he chalked it up to </span>
  <em>
    <span>adrenaline</span>
  </em>
  <span>. To being caught up in Luke’s enthusiasm it was like, how could one </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to kiss that? But it’s getting harder to deny and excuse away and Reggie thinks there is something </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span> with him, because he also likes girls.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not a burden, if you need help, we want to help you,” Alex says, wrapping an arm around Reggie’s shoulder, pulling him closer. Reggie lets his head fall onto Alex’s shoulder.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex... I think something is wrong with me,” He </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> there is a lot wrong with him, those </span>
  <em>
    <span>dangerous thoughts</span>
  </em>
  <span>, those thoughts about </span>
  <em>
    <span>Luke</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “I... I like Luke.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alex’s face becomes confused at his friend’s words, “That doesn’t make sense Reg. Is that why you think something is wrong with you? Because you like Luke?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Part of it, because... I also like </span>
  <em>
    <span>girls</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but Luke... I also like him, like </span>
  <b>
    <span>a lot</span>
  </b>
  <span> Alex, but I know he has his thing with Julie. I’m happy for him, but</span>
  <em>
    <span> why</span>
  </em>
  <span> did I have to figure this out when he has someone. He wouldn’t go for me anyway. I’m too much,” Reggie practically word vomits, and Alex just holds him tighter.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“There is </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing</span>
  </em>
  <span> wrong with that. I think there is a word for it,” Alex informs Reggie, “Julie would probably know. You could ask her, you don’t have to say you like Luke, just... ask her if there is a word for it. Or I could ask Willie.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie shook his head, “No, I can do it. Uh... thanks Alex.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You’d tell us if there was more, right?” Alex asks, like he knows there is more going on in Reggie’s mind that he isn’t saying, and Reggie thinks that’s true because of the sad look that falls over Alex’s face when Reggie tells him </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course,</span>
  </em>
  <span> before going to just outside Julie’s room, knocking to be let in.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Julie was in her room, putting the vest she wore that night back into her mother’s chest, and told whoever it was to come in. When it was Reggie who walked in, she noticed him fidgeting with the bracelet on his wrist. He was nervous, and Julie has noticed the past week or two, since the broken bottle accident, Reggie hasn’t been himself. He’s been </span>
  <span>quieter</span>
  <span>, Luke and Alex told her that if she can, keep him company – to basically silently let him know you’re still there. So, she pats the spot next to her on the bed and waits for Reggie to sit.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>When he sits down, </span>
  <span>she places a hand on his knee, giving it a small squeeze. “What's up?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Alex said you might know, I’m not sure if there was a word for it in the nineties, or if it was a thing. I never really paid attention to it because I never thought about it. </span>
  <span>But,</span>
  <span> I’ve been thinking about it a lot now, and I think there is something wrong with me because of it, but Alex said there wasn’t that there was a word,” Reggie is </span>
  <span>rambling and</span>
  <span> Julie was just listening and she gave a small nod of her head, “I like girls... and guys. That’s not a </span>
  <span>thing</span>
  <span> right?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Julie gave Reggie a soft smile, fingers going to the blue, pink and purple bracelet on her wrist, </span>
  <span>she tugs on it and Reggie’s fingers reach out towards it, </span>
  <span>“Bisexual. This bracelet has the bisexual flag colours</span>
  <span>. It means, someone who is attracted to one or more genders. Like myself.</span>
  <span> There is </span>
  <em>
    <span>nothing </span>
  </em>
  <span>wrong with you for it.</span>
  <span>”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie's jaw dropped slightly, eyes going a little wide at what Julie said. He ends up pulling her into a tight hug, and a few tears fall down his face. She wraps her arms around him, holding tightly onto him before they pulled away. “What were you doing, before I came in?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I was just putting my mum’s vest back into her box,” Julie says, going over to the chest that was laying on the floor. She hadn’t closed it yet, and she </span>
  <em>
    <span>saw</span>
  </em>
  <span> that shirt in the corner of her eye so she pulls it out before holding it out to Reggie. “Flynn found this in here, you guys said you never knew her – but she must have known you guys.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Taking the shirt in his hands, Reggie took in the Sunset Curve shirt that had jewels added to it. A small smile spread across his lips, before he sat down next to Julie at the chest. He looked in the box himself, smiling at the memories that were in the box – it was nice that Julie had all these </span>
  <em>
    <span>memories</span>
  </em>
  <span> of her mother, he knew his parents wouldn’t have anything of his. Eyes spotted a concert ticket with the name </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rose and the Petals</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and a light laugh fell from his lips, which caused Julie to look at him, “Sorry, it’s just, there was a bartender at the Orpheum named </span>
  <em>
    <span>Rose</span>
  </em>
  <span> who I gave the shirt too. It’s funny how I see that name on the ticket, and this shirt.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“That </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> my mum!” Julie exclaims hand going over her mouth, “She use to work there for a while when she was younger.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Reggie says shaking his head, voice going quiet as he speaks again, “No... </span>
  <em>
    <span>I flirted with her.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“</span>
  </em>
  <span>You did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Julie asks, shocked as she looked at him with wide eyes.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, not only me. Luke and Bobby did too,” Reggie replies, and Julie starts laughing and it gets Reggie going too, and they’re laughing together. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>After they calmed down enough, they smiled happily together and Julie closed the chest after Reggie put the shirt back in.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Julie... do you have eyeliner?” Reggie asks after a few moments of silence. Reggie remembers wanting to put some on back before he died but he never really had the money to buy it, or well it was more if he were honest with himself, he was scared of what those around him would think of him buying it, and he couldn’t use his mother’s - she never had any, and if she did, he would have been too scared to see what would happen if she found out. So, </span>
  <span>it</span>
  <span> never happened.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I do. I have some blue, purple and of course the classic black and browns, why?” Julie muses, she is glad though, that Reggie felt comfortable enough to </span>
  <em>
    <span>ask</span>
  </em>
  <span> because she is sure, guys wearing </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> remotely feminine in the 90’s could cause issues with those who didn’t like it. She walks over to her little desk and pulls out the black liner. Reggie hasn’t answered her, so she tells him to sit.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie sits on the edge of bed, and Julie uncaps the liner before cupping Reggie’s face, “Thanks,” Reggie mumbles, and Julie just smiles at him before instructing him to look up so she could do his waterline before doing the top lid.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Two nights later, Reggie was sitting on Julie’s bed, legs crossed with his hand in Julie’s as she painted his nails. It was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>black</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but it was something new and it was a cool thing to know they could do. The hand Julie wasn’t painting was tapping against his thighs, “Juls?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah Reg?” She stills her movements, looking at Reggie who had a serious look on his face. He looked so </span>
  <em>
    <span>vulnerable</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Julie just wanted to hug him tightly and let him know she was there for him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You... You can’t tell Alex or Luke, okay. It’s not that I don’t trust them, I do, with my whole life. Or, whatever this is now. I do, I just,” Reggie looks up at the ceiling, trying not to let himself cry. “I never wanted to burden them with this stuff. This </span>
  <em>
    <span>stuff</span>
  </em>
  <span> that goes on in my head at times. Before... Before we died, I had thought about it. Death that is, and not just the normal, </span>
  <em>
    <span>this person died</span>
  </em>
  <span> kind, and what happens after stuff. I would get </span>
  <em>
    <span>really bad</span>
  </em>
  <span> in my head. I thought I wasn’t enough... I don’t think I am. It’s happening now a lot. I would want too, disappear thinking no one would miss me. I thought, for a while I could grab </span>
  <span>my dad's</span>
  <span> gun, or drift out to sea.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You were... </span>
  <em>
    <span>suicidal</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Julie asks the question in a quiet voice, trying to keep the sadness out of her tone, but was failing. It hurt knowing that Reggie would get like this, but she is glad that he was opening himself up. She closes the lid to the nail polish, they were nearly finished and she didn’t want to knock it onto her sheets when she hugs Reggie, because she </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> she is going too.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess you could say that. I </span>
  <em>
    <span>shouldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> feel this way anymore, right? I’m already </span>
  <em>
    <span>dead, </span>
  </em>
  <span>but... I’m just not feeling myself, I just, keep feeling like I’m not worth it. You could easily replace me with a better bassist,” Reggie confines, a few tears falling down his cheeks.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Julie reaches over and pulls Reggie into a hug, letting him cry into her shoulder. Rubbing circles into his back, and saying it’s okay, that she loves him. Julie and the Phantoms without Reggie didn’t sit right with Julie, and she tells him she could </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> replace him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>There was a soft knock on the doorframe, which caused Julie to look up and see Flynn standing there. She noticed the confused look on Flynn’s face, so she mouthed</span>
  <em>
    <span> Reggie</span>
  </em>
  <span> before pulling away from the hug. Wiping at his tears, as Flynn walks into the room, sitting herself next to Julie.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Reggie, Julie said you’re here,” Flynn pulls out a bracelet similar to the one on Julie’s wrist, the same colours even then she hands it to Julie. Reggie waved at her, even though she couldn’t see or hear when he says a </span>
  <span>quick</span>
  <span> hello. “Here you go! Also, here is this one,” She says pulling out one that was blue, yellow and pink and handing it too Julie who placed the one with yellow on the bed next to the nail polish.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reg, hold your hand out?” Julie asks, and he does so. She wraps the bracelet around his wrist, tying it off before cutting the excess string. “Now, we match,” Julie says with a wide smile, bumping her wrist that has her own bracelet on it with his. “I’m glad you told me what you did, but maybe talk with Luke and Alex too. You aren’t a burden, to </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> of us, lest of all them. You want me to finish painting your nails?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie gave a small nod of his head, holding his hand back out to Julie. The paint smudged a little, but nothing they couldn’t fix. They talked for a bit, Julie telling Flynn anything Reggie said before Reggie decided to go back to the studio, and talk with the guys.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Opening himself up to Alex and Luke, it scared him shitless – but, he felt ready to do it. He’d been hiding it away from them for a very long time, because he didn’t think it was important. The way Alex hugged him tightly, and the way Luke looked at him told him he was wrong. That how he was feeling </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> important, no matter what it was that was running through his mind. He cried again as he held onto his friends who were telling him that they don’t know if it </span>
  <em>
    <span>will</span>
  </em>
  <span> get better, but no matter what, they’ll be there for him. That they love him, and care so much about him. Reggie ended up falling asleep with his head on Luke’s shoulder on the couch. Luke holding Reggie close to him.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alex draped the blanket around them, telling Luke that he was going to meet with Willie. Luke knew that when he woke up, he’s going to have a pain in his neck. They were slowly feeling some things they use to when they were alive, like pain and tired. Though, none of them have really felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>hungry</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but it would be nice to eat again – just maybe not in a stupid hotel that wants to trap them.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke pressed a soft kiss to the top of Reggie’s head before letting his eyes close.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Before going to school, Julie went into the studio to so she could give Luke his bracelet. Flynn already left, she needed something from her home and was swinging by before meeting Julie at school. Opening the door to the studio, a soft smile spread across her lips at seeing two of her boys curled up on the couch together. If she knew it would show up, she’d take a photo of them. Quietly, she walks over to poke Luke’s shoulder, he mumbles a little and she laughs a little.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Luke, wake up for a few moments, I got something for you,” Julie says her voice quiet as she speaks.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A small groan leaves his lips, and he blinks open his eyes and gives a tired smile towards Julie, “Morning.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning, Luke. Here,” She holds out the blue, pink and yellow bracelet that Flynn gave her yesterday, Julie would have made them herself but hers never turned out that well. Flynn was all but excited to make them, even if Julie never explicated told her who they were for.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke moves his arm towards her, the one that wasn’t still around Reggie and Julie ties the bracelet on his wrist. “Hey Julie.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No problem, it’s just a small thing an-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke shook his head, “Not for that, but... yes. I like it, and thanks for helping me figure it out. But, I meant, thanks for being there for Reggie, when me and Alex couldn’t. He told us everything last night, and... I’m just happy he talked to someone about it.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Even if that person wasn’t you first?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Luke was glad that Reggie finally told someone everything that was on his mind. It always pained him when they were alive to watch as Reggie would </span>
  <em>
    <span>slump</span>
  </em>
  <span> into depressive spells and all he and Alex could do was</span>
  <em>
    <span> be there</span>
  </em>
  <span> for Reggie, because Reggie would never talk about it. He gave a quick glance at the sleeping boy next to him, giving him a small squeeze.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got to go, Flynn will be waiting for me at school,” Julie says with a smile.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you asked her out yet?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Have you asked </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span> out yet?” Julie replies, her eyes going towards Reggie and giving a nod towards him, and Luke shakes his head. “I will, if </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> do, and if we ruin our friendships, we can eat ice cream and watch rom-coms until we feel better. Though, I don’t think you’ll ruin yours.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t eat, but that sounds like a plan, though Flynn is sure to say yes.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A week after their night at the Orpheum, Julie and Luke spent the night talking about </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was that was going on between them because they both knew it was there, but they weren’t sure of </span>
  <em>
    <span>what</span>
  </em>
  <span> exactly it was. There was chemistry, they both knew that, </span>
  <em>
    <span>everyone</span>
  </em>
  <span> knew that but after that night, they figured it was the musical charge and the feeling of something </span>
  <em>
    <span>new</span>
  </em>
  <span> that had been pulling them together. They both had been denying themselves of their true feelings and when Luke pointed out that maybe she was falling for Flynn she didn’t hesitate to shoot back that he was with Reggie.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They had called each other out, and the next few nights that they spent together was working on figuring out how they felt for their friends, and helping Luke figure out his own sexuality because he told Julie he never found the right way to express it before he died and he knew he wasn’t straight, but he wasn’t gay either. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe he could try and get some sleep again, it’s not like either of them had anything to do until practice this afternoon, and it was nice, just the two of them like this. Luke liked the time he spent with Reggie, and sometimes he knows he would try and make it as </span>
  <em>
    <span>much</span>
  </em>
  <span> time as possible like walking instead of just </span>
  <em>
    <span>poofing</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He noticed that unless they were performing, Reggie still stumbled slightly when they </span>
  <span>poofed</span>
  <span> anywhere.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>It was quiet, it would have been easy for him to drift off back into what they would call sleep. It’s not like they needed it, but it was a sense of normalcy in their very different lives now that they’re ghost. Luke almost felt himself on the edge of sleep, but Alex came </span>
  <span>poofing</span>
  <span> in with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>big old</span>
  </em>
  <span> grin plastered on his lips. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that his </span>
  <em>
    <span>date</span>
  </em>
  <span> had gone well, even if a date isn’t what Alex would call it. He was still just calling it </span>
  <em>
    <span>hanging out</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Still asleep?” Alex asks, looking over at Reggie who was still asleep on Luke’s side. Luke gave a small nod of his head, “He looks so much better now.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re just saying that because he can’t talk,” Luke teases, and Alex rolls his eyes before taking the space on the other side of Reggie. It was a tight squeeze but neither minded.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m not. He just looks so rested, and relaxed. Peaceful,” Alex comments, going to move some of Reggie’s hair that fell into his face off of it. A soft smile spread across Reggie’s lips at the action, and Alex smiled a little himself. It hurt last night, hearing all the things that Reggie bottled up – it hurt that even though he and Luke always made it clear that Reggie could tell them anything, he still didn’t tell him </span>
  <em>
    <span>this. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Alex thinks he could understand, with his anxiety, it took him a while to open up about it with his friends, but now? He’s freely open about it with his friends. “That a new bracelet?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Julie gave it to me,” Luke answers, holding it out for Alex to see. “Pride bracelet. I figured it out, I’m pansexual.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alex gave a small nod of his head, “I think Willie told me about that. I’m happy for you. Do you think... She could get me one?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A soft laugh left Luke’s lips, “Yeah.” Julie was a good friend like that, even if Flynn made them – but Flynn was always happy to make them for her friends. There was a stirring and a light mumbling from Luke’s side as Reggie woke up, sitting himself up and everyone adjusted themselves on the couch, “You feeling better Reg?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Better, yes. Not fully myself if I’m honest, but</span>
  <em>
    <span> better</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Reggie replies, fingers going to play with new bracelet on his wrist. Suddenly the events of last night falling into his mind, and he was hit with the thoughts of his friends not liking him anymore, of them just </span>
  <em>
    <span>doing this</span>
  </em>
  <span>, being here for him because they </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> too and not because they want too.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” A hand wraps around his wrist, not too tightly so he can still play with the bracelet – just enough pressure to let him know they were</span>
  <em>
    <span> there</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “That’s all we ask. For you to be honest with us. We care about you, all of us. Please don’t ever forget that.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“We love you okay,” Alex knocks Reggie’s shoulder lightly with his own as he gives words of affirmation to his friend. “Maybe we can spend the day just the three of us, like we use to do? We haven’t done that in a while.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Alex had been busy with finding Willie, and knows Luke has been visiting his parents – and Reggie, most likely spent a lot of his time hanging with Ray. Reggie nodded his head, and Luke did too. So, they spent the day going to random movie theatres and watching the films, and a tiny bit of playing with lifers – nothing to big though.</span>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Ray was sitting at the table, going through the photos on his computer. Filtering out the ones he liked, and the ones he didn’t. Reggie was next to him, saying which ones he liked and his thoughts on each photo as Ray sorted through them. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“I need advice Ray,” Reggie says, his hands going out in front of himself and he lets his fingers brush over the new bracelet on his wrist that Julie had gotten him a few weeks ago. Reggie was now in a better place mentally then he was those weeks ago. “I’ve only told Alex this, not that I don’t trust Luke, I do... but it’s about him. I kind of... like him a lot Ray. Like, my heart skips and I want to hold his hand just because, and not because he’s comforting me, or I’m comforting him. I want to feel that smile against my lips. I know, it’s sappy but, I don’t know what to do. He has Julie, and I would </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to hurt her like that.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s just my luck, right? Figuring out I like Luke just that little bit too late because I think it was always there,” Reggie let’s out a soft sigh, hanging his head slightly. He knows Ray won’t answer him, or give him an answer but it felt nice telling someone and letting it out. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Julie hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but she had been looking for her father to ask him something, when he heard Reggie talking. A few moments passed after he finished before Julie came in, with a smile upon her lips she quickly looks at Reggie before looking at her father, “I’ve got all my homework done,” Julie starts off, and Ray closes his laptop, knowing where this was probably going to go. He raises his eyebrow at his daughter, silently asking her to continue what she was wanting to ask, “Flynn asked me to the movies tonight... as a </span>
  <em>
    <span>date</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Date?” Ray muses, and Reggie’s head is quick to look at Julie.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, and don’t give me that </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m too young</span>
  </em>
  <span> speech. I really like her, and I want to see where this could go. Can I go?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A smile spread across Ray’s lips, “Of course, you know what time you need to be home by.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Julie went over to her father, and gave him a hug, “Thank you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie </span>
  <span>poofed</span>
  <span> into the studio, not expecting Luke to be there strumming a small tune on the couch. Before saying anything, Reggie listened to the tune, it was soft not like most of their songs. It almost sounded like a love song with the few lyrics he could hear Luke murmuring, they didn’t do much love song – but it sounded nice.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a nice song,” Reggie says, causing Luke to jump a little and Reggie laughed a little bit. “Sorry. Is that a new song?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it is,” Luke answers, placing his guitar back in </span>
  <span>its</span>
  
  <span>stand</span>
  <span> before writing a few things down. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie walked over to him, taking a seat next to him. “Can I read what you’ve got?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke hands it over to him, and Reggie reads over the lyrics. After spending years reading Luke’s handwriting, he’s learnt how to read it with little hassle but that doesn’t make it any easier to read. As he read, he took note of how some lyrics sounded like it could have been Julie. Mentions of dark hair, nice smile and voice, </span>
  <span>but,</span>
  <span> there was </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing that made him realise that this wasn’t about </span>
  <em>
    <span>Julie</span>
  </em>
  <span> and it was that it wasn’t about a girl, but a guy. Luke had specifically used male pronouns. Reggie’s heart dropped a little, Luke liked some other guy. </span>
  <span>Of course</span>
  <span> he did, why would he like Reggie.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reg?” Luke asks, after Reggie places the notebook on the table without saying anything. Reggie didn’t trust his own voice right now, because it hurt him inside thinking that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> thought he could have had a chance with Luke, only for it to be ripped right from under him. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke lifts a hand to turn Reggie’s face to look at him, and a frown forms on his face at seeing hurt spread across Reggie’s face. It’s rare to see him like this, Reggie always tries to hide it but he can’t now, and that breaks Luke’s heart because it meant it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>big</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He can see a tear form in his friend’s eye, and it slowly fall down his cheek, so he wipes it away with his thumb.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie, what’s wrong?” He questions, worry in his voice.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Looking away, Reggie takes in a shaky breath before letting it out, “It’s stupid. I should never get my hopes up. I never learn that.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, what are you talking about? It’s me, you can tell me anything,” Luke tries to reassure his friend.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoever that song is about, they’re... they’re one lucky guy,” Reggie manages to get out, trying and failing to keep out his own hurt feeling in his voice.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Emotions are quickly going over Luke’s face as he registers Reggie’s words, and then a soft laugh leaves his lips. “And I’m stupid, for not realising this would happen. I need to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>blunt</span>
  </em>
  <span>, otherwise you don’t get it. Reggie, that song? It’s about </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“M-Me?” Hope filled Reggie’s eyes and Luke couldn’t be happier, he wanted to kiss Reggie, so that is what he does. Slowly, he leans in, allowing for Reggie to pull away – but when the bassist doesn’t, Luke presses his lips to Reggie’s in a soft quick kiss.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you,” Words whispered against Reggie’s lips, and Reggie his kissing him again, this time a little longer and Reggie’s hand moves to the back of Luke’s head, fingers threading through the messy hair.</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Luke smiled into the kiss, and Reggie did too. Pulling away slightly, Reggie says, “I love you.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>A soft hum leaves Luke’s lips, “I know,” Looking down, he can see the big smile that spread Reggie’s lips at the reference, but after a few moments, he adds on “At least I’m not covered in puke.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Reggie pulled away slightly, a confused look spread across his features, “What?”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“That first time you were drunk? I think you were so drunk; you were going to say you love me. I brushed it off as you being </span>
  <em>
    <span>drunk</span>
  </em>
  <span>, because it never sounded like our usual, I love </span>
  <span>you’s</span>
  <span>, it felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>more</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but then... you threw up before you could finish it. But it felt like you were going to say </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god? I did? I’m sorry. I don-”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>“Reggie, I’m over it,” Luke says, leaning forward to bump his nose with Reggie’s “because I love you too.”</span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>They kiss again, and Julie walks into the studio – smiling a little bit before saying practice was off for the day as she’s got a date, and if they can let Alex know. So, Luke and Reggie spent the rest of the day talking about what they had been getting up too, with kisses and cuddling in between.</span>
  
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>it's only joining the song collection bc i DID base it originally off of it</p></blockquote></div></div>
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